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Browse more than 65,000 articles authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

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Harmonization of aggregated freshwater biotic data to support continental and global assessment Harmonization of aggregated freshwater biotic data to support continental and global assessment

Biodiversity loss and conservation are increasingly coming into focus in global policy fora, requiring information and assessments at wider spatial and temporal scales than previously considered. However, the monitoring framework required to support such data collection and assessment is lacking in many countries and is not harmonized across countries, hampering these efforts...
Authors
Jennifer Lento, Sarah M. Laske, Joseph M. Culp, Willem Goedkoop, Maria Kahlert, Danny C.P. Lau, Isabelle Lavoie, Jordan Musetta-Lambert, Jón S. Ólafsson, Kirsten S. Christoffersen

Luminescence dating of hydrothermal explosions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field Luminescence dating of hydrothermal explosions in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field

Hydrothermal explosions are a significant geological hazard in some active volcanic systems; however, the timing and triggering mechanisms of these explosions are poorly constrained. This study applies luminescence dating techniques to hydrothermal explosion deposits in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field to constrain explosion chronologies and evaluate potential triggering mechanisms...
Authors
Karissa Cordero, Nathan Brown, Lauren N. Harrison, Shaul Hurwitz

The surface is not superficial: Utilizing hyper-local thermal photogrammetry for pedestrian thermal comfort inquiry The surface is not superficial: Utilizing hyper-local thermal photogrammetry for pedestrian thermal comfort inquiry

The scale and magnitude of urban heating are often assessed using Satellite-Derived Land Surface Temperature (SD-LST). Yet, discrepancies in spatial resolution limit SD-LST’s ability to reflect pedestrian thermal experience, potentially leading to ineffective mitigation strategies. Hyper-local measurements of urban heat, defined as surface temperatures (TS) at the scale of pedestrian...
Authors
Logan Steinharter, Peter Christian Ibsen, Priyanka deSouza, Melissa R. McHale

Early Pliocene (Zanclean) sea surface temperature for PlioMIP3 Early Pliocene (Zanclean) sea surface temperature for PlioMIP3

Paleoclimate researchers have been comparing Pliocene environmental data to paleoclimate model results since the 1980s. The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) began in 2008 with a focus on the Late Pliocene. Here we assess the availability and utility of sea surface temperature (SST) data for verification of Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP3) Early Pliocene...
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Kevin M. Foley

Coral reef protection may help avert risks to people, property, and economic activity caused by projected reef eegradation Coral reef protection may help avert risks to people, property, and economic activity caused by projected reef eegradation

Degradation of coral reefs over the past several decades has caused regional-scale erosion of the shallow seafloor that serves as a protective barrier against coastal hazards along southeast Florida, USA. How future change in coral reefs may affect coastal flooding, however, has been less attended than other factors contributing to increasing risks such as sea-level rise and more intense...
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, Borja Reguero, Kimberly Yates, Kristen Alkins, James B. Shope, Camila Gaido-Lasserre, Theresa Fregoso, Michael W. Beck

Hydrologic dynamics of ephemerally flooded playas in a dryland environment Hydrologic dynamics of ephemerally flooded playas in a dryland environment

Ephemerally flooded playas are common in the southwestern United States and globally in drylands. Often formed in closed basins, playas are depressions which inundate infrequently from local precipitation and streamflow produced near the playa or from upland areas. Few studies have quantified the hydrologic connectivity between upland catchments and playas using observations. Here, we...
Authors
Charles R. Kimsal, Enrique R. Vivoni, Osvaldo E. Sala, H. Curtis Monger, Owen P. McKenna

An integrated mudstone facies classification scheme and revised interpretation of the sedimentologic processes driving carbon burial in the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation, Colorado, U.S.A. An integrated mudstone facies classification scheme and revised interpretation of the sedimentologic processes driving carbon burial in the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation, Colorado, U.S.A.

Standardizing facies descriptions has proven key to integrating interpretations of depositional processes and environments from sedimentologic observations with geochemistry data for mudstone lithologies. Because of their fine-grained nature, high degree of compaction, and heterogeneous composition, standardizing methods for mudstone descriptions has proven difficult, but it is critical...
Authors
Jason A. Flaum, Katherine L. French, Justin E. Birdwell, Kira K. Timm

A review and synthesis of post-wildfire shifts in hydrologic processes and streamflow generation mechanisms A review and synthesis of post-wildfire shifts in hydrologic processes and streamflow generation mechanisms

Critical water supply watersheds in the western United States (WUS) are impacted by wildfires, with potential negative effects on water quality and quantity. Scientific understanding is currently insufficient to deliver estimates of wildfire consequences for water quantity that are regionally accurate. Regional variability in the directionality and magnitude of post-wildfire shifts in...
Authors
Brian A. Ebel, John C. Hammond, Michelle A. Walvoord, Trevor Fuess Partridge, David M. Rey, Sheila F. Murphy

Low-frequency earthquakes track the motion of a captured slab fragment Low-frequency earthquakes track the motion of a captured slab fragment

Accurate tectonic models are essential for assessing seismic hazard and fault interactions. However, the plate configuration at the complex Mendocino triple junction, where the San Andreas Fault and the Cascadia subduction zone meet, remains uncertain. We analyzed fault slip associated with a recently identified zone of tectonic tremor and low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near the...
Authors
David R. Shelly, Amanda M. Thomas, Kathryn Z. Materna, Robert J. Skoumal

More water, more of the time: Spatial changes in flooding over 83 years in the upper Mississippi River floodplain and relationships with streamgage-derived proxies More water, more of the time: Spatial changes in flooding over 83 years in the upper Mississippi River floodplain and relationships with streamgage-derived proxies

The hydrologic regime of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) has become wetter, with greater discharges, longer-lasting high-flow conditions, and seasonal shifts in these patterns over the past several decades. How these changes are expressed spatially as floodplain inundation area, frequency, depth, duration, and timing is not well understood. It is also unclear to what degree spatial...
Authors
Molly Van Appledorn, Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Daniel Griffin

A new inventory and conservation assessment of United States islands A new inventory and conservation assessment of United States islands

To support conservation-focused research and management we developed a new 30-m resolution polygon data layer of the nonlacustrine and nonriverine islands of the United States, with associated attributes describing key physical and conservation geography characteristics. Islands were grouped into a three-tiered hierarchy of island regions (twelve), island provinces (twenty-eight), and...
Authors
Roger Sayre, Madeline T. Martin, Nadia Naji, Kelly B. Sides, Jill Janene Cress, Kevin Butler, Keith Van Graafeiland, Deniz Karagulle, Charlie Frye, Sean Breyer, Dawn Wright, John Klavitter, Dena Spatz, David Will, Gregg Howald, Alex Wegmann, Charlotte K. Stanley, Nick Holmes
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